Sanyo phone runs for 10 days on AA battery

Prototype handset takes advantage of low-power network

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Really geeky readers may just remember a few early mobile phones that were capable on running on regular batteries. They were mostly very low-spec handsets with rechargeable cells that could be swapped out in a pinch for a few minutes of talk time at most.

Perhaps with an eye on those halcyon days of simple tech, Sanyo Japan has come up with a prototype phone that intentionally runs on a single AA battery. And it can stretch to five hours of talk time or 250 hours on standby.

Low power drain

The battery in question has to be Sanyo's highly successful Eneloop cell, of course, but the phone operates on the public PHS network run by Willcom. The choice of partner is the key to the phone's longevity, as PHS has far lower power demands than GSM or other phone technologies.

Although the prototype looks a lot like an air freshener (check out the gallery on Keitai Watch), we're assured it actually does work as advertised. If AA-powered phones ever do return to the shelves, we're pretty sure they'll be a hit with retirees and all-night stop-outs alike.